Preserving our terroir
Sustainable Exception
Each product we make is an expression of our terroirs: a particular soil, a unique climate, specific biodiversity. We are actively committed to preserving these fragile ecosystems and passing on our know-how,
developed through the generations.
Climate has always been a leading protagonist in the history of our terroirs; global warming is the latest challenge, prompting us to adapt to deal with growing climate impacts, such as extreme weather events and changing seasonal patterns. That is why we are taking steps, on our estates and with our partners, to introduce agroecological practices, develop resistant varieties to protect our raw materials and onboard precision technologies to promote more sustainable agriculture and viticulture.
This is the ambition of our “New Generation Terroirs” initiative.
1/ Speeding up local transition to agroecology
We are now nearly ten years into our agricultural transition, which has entailed encouraging our Maisons to gain certification of their supplies.
That said, we felt it was important to go even further, by steering them towards regenerative agricultural practices that positively impact carbon levels, water resources and biodiversity, key to building more resilient terroirs.
All of our estates are now converting to agroecology, and our aim is to usher all of our partners on to this path by 2030.
79%
of our agricultural supplies are undergoing environmental certification
6%
of our direct partners have received agroecology training (2% in 2022;
0 in 2021). Target: 100% by 2030.
Our actions
Training and supporting our partners through “Transition Collectives”
Inspired by the action taken by the “Graines des cimes” organisation set up by Hautes Glaces, Rémy Cointreau is looking to onboard its partners through a tailored training and support programme. Launched in 2022, the Orama Collective set up by METAXA was introduced on the island of Samos in 2023 to train the Maison’s 12 partner winegrowers and support them through their agroecological transition.
Two further programmes were rolled out in 2024: Bruichladdich has partnered with Soil Capital to gradually guide its 20 Islay-based partner farmers through the transition, while the Maison Rémy Martin set itself the 2030 target to train and switch to agroecology the 800 winegrowers in its Alliance Fine Champagne cooperative.
AXA Climate: innovating to lift barriers
In addition to training and supporting its partner farmers, Rémy Cointreau is also taking steps to ease the transition to agroecology. For instance, the Group has worked with AXA Climate to develop a special insurance policy that encourages winegrowers to drastically reduce their use of pesticides to control vine diseases such as mildew in exchange for coverage of any production losses linked to these diseases. The policy pays out provided the winegrower has followed the guidance of AXA’s experts in implementing a special protocol combining biological controls and the very restricted use of phytosanitary products. Tested out on Rémy Martin’s estates in 2023, this innovative solution is set to be steadily rolled out to the Group’s partner Cognac winegrowers.
2/ Investing in R&D to sustainably protect terroirs and their specificity
Global warming and the water scarcity it creates present a challenge for our Maisons, impacting the vital development metrics of our raw materials – grapes, barley, oranges, etc. – that go into making our exceptional wines and spirits. These rapid developments have prompted the Group and each Maison to invest in R&D efforts to adapt our plant material as well as to identify disease-resistant plants. This will facilitate the roll-out of agroecological practices and help us meet targets to reduce chemical inputs. Our goal by 2030 is to use exclusively disease-resistant varieties identified for the agricultural staples we need. To achieve this, we are collaborating with research institutes, investing in new technology and joining forces with our peers to run sector-based initiatives.
67%
of our Maisons are running research programmes on climate-resistant varieties
78%
on disease-resistant varieties
Our actions
Testing historic varieties to improve resistance to climate change
Domaine des Hautes Glaces in France has teamed up with the INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment) to test old varieties of barley seed as a proactive step to develop varieties that better withstand heat and drought. In 2023-2024, we succeeded in significantly increasing the number of varieties tested: 70 in total, covering 5 different types of grain (rye, oats, barley, spelt, farro), which are under observation to compile an initial pool of varieties and then select the most compatible varieties. Westland in the US is partnering with Washington State University on a similar initiative.
Supporting research into new, more resilient varieties
Maison Rémy Martin, in partnership with the INRAE, the Bureau national interprofessionnel du cognac (BNIC) and the Conservatoire du vignoble charentais (CVC), is co-funding the VIBRACC project, which aims to find grape varieties resistant to mildew, powdery mildew and black rot (the most common grape diseases) that can also withstand global warming, through the natural crossing of vidal blanc and other hardy varieties.
Working together to tackle the threats to terroirs
To drive the deployment of agroecological practices, aiming for a significant reduction and more sustainable use of synthetic inputs, and prevent the resurgence of diseases caused by climate change, the Group has rolled out a dynamic anti-parasite programme to safeguard its vital raw materials. Cointreau, for instance, is taking steps to protect orange and bitter orange trees under threat from citrus greening disease. While no treatment currently exists, we are working with Cirad (French agricultural research and international cooperation organisation for the sustainable development of tropical and mediterranean regions) in Guadeloupe and the Campari group to mitigate the disease’s impact through natural techniques including tolerant rootstocks and tillage. The research group will expand in 2024 with the addition of Suntory, Pernod Ricard, Mane and L’Oréal to run tests on the resistance of rootstocks to various orange trees diseases.
3/ Biodiversity: an indicator of the health of terroirs
Biodiversity is a priority for Rémy Cointreau. It is a key indicator of soil fertility and resilience and thereby contributes to the uniqueness of our countryside and of our spirits. As well, it is a key factor in the continuation of our Maisons due to the ecosystem services they benefit from. Preserving biodiversity guides every action we take in the running of our businesses. The Group is regularly rolling out initiatives to restore and protect terroirs that are adapted to their specific needs. We are proud to have met, a year earlier than planned, our 2025 target for each Maison to be running at least one project in favor of biodiversity.
100%
of Maisons have onboarded a biodiversity initiative (target met a year early)
~3000
trees/shrubs planted in 2023-2024, mostly in France (Telmont) and Barbados (Mount Gay).
Our actions
“Butterfly Regeneration”, butterflies as a symbol
With the Butterfly Regeneration programme, the butterfly has become the symbol of our commitment and a barometer for our action. The butterfly is an important species that acts as a key indicator of a healthy ecosystem.
In this respect, the agroecological conversion of all our estates hopes to rehabilitate the habitats of butterflies. Then at our production sites, we plan to conduct biodiversity assessments to inform our actions to cultivate hospitable environments in line with local parameters. We are supporting the butterfly cause through various sponsorship operations on local markets. The Botanist Foundation and Rémy Cointreau Americas have already partnered up on these kinds of initiative. We are also counting on the support of our employees. In France for instance, we have given out over 5,000 seed bombs containing 11 species of organic flowering plant providing a food source for the 51,000-plus types of insect pollinators in the wild.
Rémy Cointreau Americas helps preserving Monarch butterflies together with WWF Mexico
Mexico, and the forest region of Michoacán especially, is a critical habitat for the Monarch butterfly, a pollinator and key driver of the local biodiversity and agriculture. Given the species’ importance, in recent years WWF Mexico has run a targeted preservation campaign. With the support of Rémy Cointreau Americas, they planted over 80,500 tree seedlings in 2023 with a further 80,000 planned in 2024, thereby playing their part in the reforestation of different regions in Mexico, the creation of a dozen pollinator gardens in suburban areas located along the Monarchs’ migration route, and the cultivation of plant seeds of native nectariferous and pollinating flowers. A total 75 hectares have been restored in the Monarchs’ hibernation forest and 80 additional hectares will be restored in 2024.
Rémy Cointreau has renewed its biodiversity commitments with Act4nature International
In step with its long-running actions to preserve its terroirs and biodiversity, Rémy Cointreau, a partner of Act4nature international since 2018, reasserted its commitment to the environmental initiative in early 2024. Its renewed commitments reflect the increased pace of the agroecological transition and its plans to measure its progress, shifting from an obligation of means to an obligation of results.